Gila RiverGila River Relocation CenterGila RiverIncarceration CampJuly 20, 1942November 10, 1945Rivers, ArizonaRiversArizonaLocated in a valley within the Gila River Indian Reservation in Pinal County, 50 miles south of Phoenix, 3 miles north of the Sacaton Mountains. Consisted of two separate camps: Canal and Butte, located 3.5 miles apart between irrigation canals. The 16,500 acres are in an arid desert valley with average summer temperatures over 100 degrees. Vegetation includes mesquite, creosote, and cactus.32.1667-111.86672349069Held people from Los Angeles, Sacramento, and Amador Counties; 3,000 were sent from southern San Joaquin Valley; also held 155 Japanese immigrants from Hawaii. Canal Camp housed people from the Turlock Assembly Center and San Joaquin Valley, while Butte Camp housed people from the Tulare and Santa Anita Assembly Centers.13,348Despite the fact that the Gila River Indian tribe objected to the imposition of an incarceration camp on their land, the Bureau of Indian Affairs granted a five-year lease for 16,500 acres to the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Today, the tribe limits access to the land, which the tribe considers sacred.Eleanor Roosevelt made a surprise visit to Gila River incarceration camp along with War Relocation Authority (WRA) director Dillon Myer on April 23, 1943.There was only one guard tower at Gila River because of staff shortages; the barbed wire fences around the camps were removed after six months.Gila River had an extensive agricultural program; at its peak 7,000 acres were devoted to crops, 3,000 of which were vegetable crops. A seed farm was established to address shortages.Butte camp featured perhaps the best baseball diamond of any of the WRA incarceration camps; it was designed by professional baseball player Kenichi Zenimura and held 6,000 spectators.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce4.htm
Gila News-Courier, Vol. I No. 21, November 21, 1942assets/site/sos_w-gila-n-001.pdf
Gila News-Courier, Vol. II No. 24, February 25, 1943assets/site/sos_w-gila-n-002.pdf
Gila News-Courier, Vol. II No. 29, March 9, 1943assets/site/sos_w-gila-n-003.pdf
Gila News-Courier, Vol. II No. 49, April 24, 1943assets/site/sos_w-gila-n-004.pdf
Gila News-Courier, Vol. III No. 112, May 9, 1944assets/site/sos_w-gila-n-005.pdf
Parade, 1942

Harvest Festival Celebration. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_w-gila-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-gila-p-004t.jpgMonument, April 1999

Located at the former site of Gila River's Butte Camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-gila-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-gila-p-005t.jpgKay Mhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=146&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Granada (Amache)Granada Relocation CenterGranada (Amache)Incarceration CampAugust 27, 1942October 15, 1945Amache, ColoradoAmacheColoradoLocated at 3,600 feet of elevation on a wind-swept prairie in southeastern Colorado 140 miles east of Pueblo, 16 miles east of Lamar, and 15 miles west of the Kansas border. The Arkansas River runs 2 1/2 miles north of the camp, but the 10,500 acres of land is arid when not irrigated. Vegetation includes wild grasses, sagebrush, and prickly pear cactus.38.0500-102.30002015676Held people from California: Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Clara Counties (Merced and Santa Anita Assembly Centers), northern California coast, west Sacramento Valley, and the northern San Joaquin Valley.7,318Unlike other camps built on federal land, the 10,500 acres of the Granada incarceration camp were acquired by purchase or condemnation of eighteen privately owned ranches and farms, arousing the anger of some local residents.Granada had the smallest population of the ten War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camps but was the tenth largest "city" in Colorado.Despite its small population, Granada had one of the largest and most diversified agricultural enterprises of the ten War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camps. These included planting gardens, vegetables, and feed crops, in addition to the raising of dairy and beef cattle, poultry, and hogs. Granada had the advantage over other camps in that it already had in place fields, canals, and a dairy barn, all in need of only minor repairs.Granada was the site of a polio epidemic within the camp.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce5.htm
The Granada Relocation Center Sitehttp://www.colorado.gov/dpa/doit/archives/wwcod/granada.htm
Granada Pioneer, Vol. I No. 19, December 30, 1942assets/site/sos_w-gran-n-001.pdf
Granada Pioneer, Vol. I No. 62, May 5, 1943assets/site/sos_w-gran-n-002.pdf
Granada Pioneer, Vol. I No. 92, August 18, 1943assets/site/sos_w-gran-n-003.pdf
Granada Pioneer, Vol. II No. 21, January 15, 1944assets/site/sos_w-gran-n-004.pdf
Granada Pioneer, Vol. II No. 39, March 18, 1944assets/site/sos_w-gran-n-005.pdf
Sagebrush and barracks, October 1, 1945

Former site of Granada incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-gran-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-gran-p-005t.jpgMutsu Hhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=147&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Heart MountainHeart Mountain Relocation CenterHeart MountainIncarceration CampAugust 12, 1942November 10, 1945Cody, WyomingCodyWyomingLocated on 46,000 acres in Park County in northwest Wyoming, 12 miles northwest of Cody, in open sagebrush desert at 4,700 feet of elevation near the Shoshone River. Heart Mountain, 8 miles to the west, creates a dramatic backdrop. Dust storms are common. Winters are severe, with lows dipping to -30 degrees.44.5167-109.05007013629Held people from Los Angeles, Santa Clara, and San Francisco, California; Yakima, Washington; and Oregon.10,767Heart Mountain incarceration camp was the third largest "city" in Wyoming between 1942 and 1945.Heart Mountain played a major role in the largest single draft resistance movement in the history of the U.S. In total, 267 Japanese American nisei from the War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camps were convicted for resisting the draft. Of those, 85 came from Heart Mountain--the highest rate of draft resistance for any of the camps.The Denver Post ran a series of articles saying the population of Heart Mountain was being "coddled."Local residents recall that Heart Mountain incarceration camp was one of the few wartime communities in the state to have electricity.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce6.htm
Heart Mountain Wyoming Foundationhttp://www.heartmountain.us
Heart Mountain Digital Preservation Projecthttp://chem.nwc.cc.wy.us/HMDP/homepage.htm
Heart Mountain Sentinel, Vol. II No. 5, January 30, 1943assets/site/sos_w-hear-n-001.pdf
Heart Mountain Sentinel, Vol. II No. 8, February 20, 1943assets/site/sos_w-hear-n-002.pdf
Heart Mountain Sentinel, Vol. II No. 38, September 18, 1943assets/site/sos_w-hear-n-003.pdf
Heart Mountain Sentinel, Vol. III No. 25, June 17, 1944assets/site/sos_w-hear-n-004.pdf
Heart Mountain Sentinel, Vol. IV No. 30, July 21, 1945assets/site/sos_w-hear-n-005.pdf
Boy Scouts, June 5, 1942

These boy scouts are conducting a morning flag raising ceremony. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Former site of Heart Mountain incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-hear-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-hear-p-005t.jpgKara Khttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=148&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video JeromeJerome Incarceration CenterJeromeIncarceration CampOctober 6, 1942June 30, 1944Denson, ArkansasDensonArkansasLocated in the Mississippi River delta region 12 miles west of the Mississippi River, 18 miles south of McGehee, 120 miles southeast of Little Rock. The 10,000-acre area was impoverished and consisted of heavily wooded swampland. It was 27 miles south of the Rohwer incarceration camp. Summers were hot and humid, with chiggers, mosquitoes, and poisonous snakes.33.3833-91.46672008597Held people from Los Angeles, Fresno, and Sacramento, California; also held people from Honolulu, Hawaii.8,497On October 6, 1942, Jerome incarceration camp was the last large War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camp to open and, in June 1944, was the first to close. The WRA cited it as an example of the success of the leave program, which resettled people of Japanese descent outside the West Coast exclusion zone.Jerome was the site of the only known shooting of incarcerees by local civilians. A tenant farmer on horseback, returning from deer hunting, came across three Japanese Americans on a work detail in the woods. He fired one round of buckshot, wounding two incarcerees. The farmer claimed he thought the Japanese Americans, supervised by a white engineer, were trying to escape.After the incarceration camps closed, Jerome was converted into a prisoner of war (POW) camp for German soldiers.The camp was situated on 10,000 acres of tax-delinquent lands purchased in the 1930s by the Farm Security Administration.Jerome was situated on swampland, and thus had severe drainage problems. Standing water and the insects it attracted contributed to health problems such as dysentery and malaria. The swampland was home to four species of poisonous snakes.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce7.htm
Denson Communique, No. 24, January 5, 1943assets/site/sos_w-jero-n-001.pdf
Denson Tribune, Vol. I No. 33, June 22, 1943assets/site/sos_w-jero-n-002.pdf
Denson Tribune, Vol. I No. 35, June 29, 1943assets/site/sos_w-jero-n-003.pdf
Denson Tribune, Vol. I No. 43, July 27, 1943assets/site/sos_w-jero-n-004.pdf
Denson Tribune Bulletin, February 22, 1944assets/site/sos_w-jero-n-005.pdf
Guard tower, June 19, 1944

Incarcerees in an unmanned guard tower. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

Incarcerees waving goodbye to their friends who are leaving the camp. Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_w-jero-p-003s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-jero-p-003t.jpgTending a garden, June 23, 1944

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_w-jero-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-jero-p-004t.jpgMonument, March 1995

Former site of Jerome incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-jero-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-jero-p-005t.jpgSarah Shttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=149&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video ManzanarManzanar Relocation CenterManzanarIncarceration CampJune 2, 1942November 21, 1945Manzanar, CaliforniaManzanarCaliforniaLocated at 3,900 feet of elevation in the desert of the southern Owens Valley in east-central California, 220 miles north of Los Angeles, 250 miles south of Reno, between the towns Lone Pine and Independence. The 6,000 acres are framed by the Sierra Nevada mountains to the west and the White-Inyo range to the east. Summers are hot, winters cold; annual rainfall is under 6 inches, although the area has rivers fed from mountain runoff. Vegetation is mostly sagebrush.36.7333-118.06674006871Over 90 percent of the people held here were from the Los Angeles, California, area; others were from Stockton, California, and Bainbridge Island, Washington.10,046Manzanar was initially the Owens Valley Reception Center (an "assembly center") run by the U.S. Army's Wartime Civil Control Administration (WCCA). Later it became the first incarceration camp to be operated by the War Relocation Authority (WRA). Its central developed area comprised 540 acres.The "Manzanar Riot" or "Manzanar Revolt" erupted in December 1942. Three incarcerees were arrested on suspicion of beating a fellow incarceree they alleged was a pro-camp administration "informer." The next evening a crowd of about 500 incarcerees demanded the release of the three arrested men. Military police (MP) used tear gas to break up the crowd; chaos ensued and without an order the MP fired, killing a seventeen-year-old and a twenty-one-year-old and wounding nine. In the aftermath of this incident, authorities created the Moab citizen isolation center to hold sixteen men they labeled "troublemakers."Manzanar is well documented in photographs by Ansel Adams, who visited in 1943; photojournalist Dorothea Lange; and incarceree Toyo Miyatake, who smuggled a camera lens into camp and was later allowed to set up a photo studio.An orphanage called Children's Village housed 101 Japanese American orphans removed from the exclusion zone, including half-Japanese babies living in white foster homes.Incarcerees built elaborate garden complexes throughout the camp.The camp is sited on a former farm and orchard community that was abandoned when the city of Los Angeles purchased the land for its water rights in the 1920s.Due to the arid desert conditions, extensive irdenshopd-i125-00018
rigation was required for any crops to grow.http://www.nps.gov/manz/
The Manzanar Committeehttp://www.manzanarcommittee.org
Manzanar Free Press, Vol. I No. 19, June 4, 1942assets/site/sos_w-manz-n-001.pdf
Manzanar Free Press, Vol. I No. 34, July 9, 1942assets/site/sos_w-manz-n-002.pdf
Manzanar Free Press, Vol. III No. 26, March 31, 1943assets/site/sos_w-manz-n-003.pdf
Manzanar Free Press, Vol. III No. 62, August 4, 1943assets/site/sos_w-manz-n-004.pdf
Manzanar Free Press, Vol. V No. 15, February 19, 1944assets/site/sos_w-manz-n-005.pdf
Barracks and American flag, July 3, 1942

Located at the former site of Manzanar's cemetery. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-manz-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-manz-p-005t.jpgPaul Bhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=150&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video MinidokaMinidoka Relocation CenterMinidokaIncarceration CampAugust 10, 1942October 28, 1945Hunt, IdahoHuntIdahoLocated at 4,000 feet of elevation on uneven terrain in southern Idaho, Minidoka is in the Snake River Plain of Jerome County, 15 miles east of Jerome and 15 miles north of Twin Falls. The 33,000 acres of arid desert was dominated by sagebrush; the southern boundary of the camp was formed by the man-made North Side canal.42.6667-114.23332025735Held people from Washington, Oregon, and Alaska; in 1943 many of the incarcerees from Bainbridge Island, Washington, were transferred at their own request to Minidoka from Manzanar.9,397Two thousand Minidoka residents took "agricultural leave" to work in sugar beet fields in Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah, during peak harvest and planting seasons. These incarcerees effectively alleviated a labor crisis and saved crops from ruin.The Fair Play Committee represented the incarceree-organized labor council. The Coal and Hospital workers went on strike, mostly in objection to the low wage scale and the disparity of wages between incarcerees and white staff.Nearly 1,000 nisei (U.S. citizens) from Minidoka served in the military during World War II as members of the Military Intelligence Service Language School, the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps, and the 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Minidoka had the largest casualty list of the ten incarceration camps: 73 Minidoka incarcerees died in military service.Incarcerees at Minidoka endured dysentery and a typhoid epidemic.http://www.nps.gov/miin/
Minidoka Irrigator, Vol. I No. 4, September 25, 1942assets/site/sos_w-mini-n-001.pdf
Minidoka Irrigator, Vol. I No. 20, November 21, 1942assets/site/sos_w-mini-n-002.pdf
Minidoka Irrigator, Vol. III No. 18, June 26, 1943assets/site/sos_w-mini-n-003.pdf
Minidoka Irrigator, Vol. III No. 22, July 24, 1943assets/site/sos_w-mini-n-004.pdf
Minidoka Irrigator, Vol. IV No. 36, November 11, 1944assets/site/sos_w-mini-n-005.pdf
Two children, c. 1943

assets/site/sos_w-mini-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-mini-p-005t.jpgAkiko Khttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=151&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Poston (Colorado River)Poston Relocation CenterPoston (Colorado River)Incarceration CampJune 2, 1942November 28, 1945Parker, ArizonaParkerArizonaLocated at 320 feet of elevation in southwestern Arizona on the Colorado River Reservation in Yuma County (now La Paz), 12 miles south of the town of Parker. The Colorado River runs 2 1/2 miles to the west. The 71,000 acres in the lower Sonoran desert are near the California border. The harsh climate featured hot and humid summers and cold winter nights. Dust was a constant problem.34.1500-114.28332007106Held people from Arizona, Oregon, and Washington. Salinas, Santa Anita, and Pinedale Assembly Centers in California as well as Mayer Assembly Center, Arizona, sent their populations here.17,814The Colorado River Indian Reservation Tribal Council opposed the use of their land for an incarceration camp because they did not want to participate in inflicting the same type of injustice they had suffered. The U.S. Army and the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) overruled the tribe.Poston, opened initially as the Parker Dam Reception Center (an "assembly center"), was the largest War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camp. Encompassing 71,000 acres, it was the third largest "city" in Arizona. The large population made possible a daily paper written by the incarcerees. At other sites, the camp newspapers were distributed once or twice weekly.Poston consisted of three separate quarters, set at three-mile intervals. The sections were known officially as Poston I, II, and III, but were nicknamed "Roasten," "Toasten," and "Dustin" by the incarcerees.In November 1942, a suspected informer was beaten and administrative officials arrested two kibei men. Demanding that the kibei be freed, workers went on strike and the police station was picketed. The protest ended peacefully when issei leaders of the protest helped negotiate a settlement with the administration.Guard towers were not erected at Poston because of its extremely isolated location.Due to the arid desert conditions and ubiquitous dust, extensive irrigation was required for any crops to grow.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce10.htm
Poston Restoration Projecthttp://www.postonproject.org/
Poston Press Bulletin, Vol. VI No. 19, October 27, 1942assets/site/sos_w-post-n-001.pdf
Poston Chronicle, Vol. XII No. 21, May 16, 1943assets/site/sos_w-post-n-002.pdf
Poston Chronicle, Vol. XIV No. 7, July 16, 1943assets/site/sos_w-post-n-003.pdf
Poston Chronicle, Vol. XV No. 14, August 28, 1943assets/site/sos_w-post-n-004.pdf
Poston Chronicle, Vol. XIX No. 17, June 29, 1944assets/site/sos_w-post-n-005.pdf
Military sentry, May 10, 1942

assets/site/sos_w-post-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-post-p-004t.jpgBarrack, November 1993

Former site of Poston incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-post-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-post-p-005t.jpgRudy Thttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=152&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video RohwerRohwer Relocation CenterRohwerIncarceration CampSeptember 18, 1942November 30, 1945McGehee, ArkansasMcGeheeArkansasLocated at 140 feet of elevation in Desha County in southeastern Arkansas, 110 miles southeast of Little Rock and 11 miles north of McGehee. The 10,161 acres of wooded swampland were in an impoverished area 27 miles north of the Jerome incarceration camp. The Mississippi River is 5 miles to the east. Summers are hot and humid, with chiggers and mosquitoes adding to the discomfort. The site had severe drainage problems; about half of the site was under swampy water during the spring.33.7500-91.26672009393Held people from Los Angeles and San Joaquin, California; incarcerees endured a three-day train ride to Arkansas.8,475Early in the camp's occupation, incarceree volunteers clearing brush were taken to a local jail at gunpoint by local residents who thought the incarcerees were Japanese paratroopers.Rohwer incarceration camp grew 85 percent of the vegetables consumed at the center. In 1943, 610 acres were in cultivation.In June 1944, when the Jerome incarceration camp closed, 2,734 people were transferred to nearby Rohwer.Rohwer was situated on swampland and thus had severe drainage problems. Standing water and the insects it attracted contributed to health problems such as malaria.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce11.htm
Rohwer Outpost, Vol. I No. 12, December 5, 1942assets/site/sos_w-rohw-n-001.pdf
Rohwer Outpost, Vol. II No. 22, March 17, 1943assets/site/sos_w-rohw-n-002.pdf
Rohwer Outpost, Vol. II No. 29, April 10, 1943assets/site/sos_w-rohw-n-003.pdf
Rohwer Outpost, Vol. IV No. 31, April 19, 1944assets/site/sos_w-rohw-n-004.pdf
Rohwer Outpost, Vol. IV No. 43, May 31, 1944assets/site/sos_w-rohw-n-005.pdf
Judo class, November 25, 1942

This monument, erected by incarcerees during World War II, was a tribute to the soldiers of the 100th Battalion and 442nd Regimental Combat Team. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-rohw-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-rohw-p-005t.jpgDaniel Inouyehttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=153&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Topaz (Central Utah)Topaz Relocation CenterTopaz (Central Utah)Incarceration CampSeptember 11, 1942October 31, 1945Delta, UtahDeltaUtahLocated at 4,600 feet of elevation in west-central Utah, Topaz was set in Millard County near the town of Delta, 140 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. Topaz Mountain was 9 miles northwest. The 19,800 acres of extremely flat terrain were within the Sevier Desert. Dust was a major problem. Temperatures range from 106 degrees in summer to -30 degrees in winter. Vegetation is mainly high desert brush.39.3833-112.71672108669Most of those held in Topaz were from the San Francisco Bay area: Alameda, San Francisco, and San Mateo Counties in California.8,130On April 11, 1943, 63-year-old James Hatsuaki Wakasa was walking near the perimeter fence when he was fatally shot by a military guard. After a brief work stoppage, a compromise was reached on the funeral location (near, but not at the spot of death), and weapons restrictions were placed on the guards. A little more than a month later, a guard fired at a couple strolling close to the fence.Over 7,500 trees and 10,000 shrubs were planted during the first nine months, but nearly all died due to heat, wind, alkaline soil, and lack of water.In 1942, the first killing frost was recorded in September and the first snowfall in October. Some of the living units still had no windows installed at that time.The plaques and photographs commemorating the Topaz incarceration camp have been vandalized and damaged by bullets.The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp at Antelope Springs, 90 miles west of Topaz, was converted for use as a recreation area for children from Topaz.Dust was everywhere at Topaz. An epidemic of dysentery added to the hardship.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce12.htm
Topaz Museumhttp://topazmuseum.org/
Topaz Times, Pre-issue No. 7, October 14, 1942assets/site/sos_w-topa-n-001.pdf
Topaz Times, Vol. IV No. 10, July 24, 1943assets/site/sos_w-topa-n-002.pdf
Topaz Times, Vol. IV No. 20, August 17, 1943assets/site/sos_w-topa-n-003.pdf
Topaz Times, Vol. V No. 13, November 2, 1943assets/site/sos_w-topa-n-004.pdf
Topaz Times Extra, December 18, 1944assets/site/sos_w-topa-n-005.pdf
Drum and bugle corps, October 17, 1942

Former site of Topaz incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-topa-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-topa-p-004t.jpgRemains of perimeter fence, July 1995

Former site of Topaz incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-topa-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-topa-p-005t.jpgMitsue Mhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=154&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Tule LakeTule Lake Relocation CenterTule LakeIncarceration CampMay 27, 1942March 20, 1946Newell, CaliforniaNewellCaliforniaLocated at an elevation of 4,000 feet on a flat treeless area in Modoc County, 35 miles southeast of Klamath Falls, Oregon, and 10 miles from the town of Tulelake. (The town is spelled as one word and the incarceration camp as two.) Mt. Shasta is 50 miles away and visible on a clear day. The soil is sandy loam; vegetation is sparse grass and sagebrush. Winters are long and cold; summers are hot and dry.41.8833-121.36672012922First to arrive were 500 volunteer residents from the Portland and Puyallup Assembly Centers. Others arrived from the Marysville, Pinedale, Pomona, Sacramento, and Salinas Assembly Centers in California. Some were sent directly from the southern San Joaquin Valley. After it became a segregation center, the camp held people from California, Hawaii, Washington, and Oregon.18,789In July 1943, Tule Lake was designated as a segregation center for those the War Relocation Authority (WRA) considered "disloyal" as a result of their answers on the mandatory so-called "loyalty questionnaire." In September 1943, "loyal" incarcerees from Tule Lake began departing to other camps and "disloyal" incarcerees from other incarceration camps started arriving at Tule Lake. The number of guards increased from a few hundred to 930; an eight-foot high double fence was erected. The camp's capacity was 15,000 but the peak population reached 18,789 as 6,249 original "loyal" incarcerees chose to stay rather than be uprooted again.In November 1943, increasing tensions between inmates and the camp administration sparked an altercation. Camp director Raymond Best called in the military police; eighteen inmates were beaten in the police squad room and all ended up hospitalized. Forced searches commenced, lasting until March 1944.On May 16, 1944, an army sentry shot and killed a nisei boy. Tensions mounted, and the camp administrators decreed that no gatherings would be permitted, which meant no school, work, sports, or recreation.On July 2, 1944, the Tule Lake canteen manager, known to be friendly with the camp administration, was murdered.By April 1945, 5,589 nisei and kibei signed a form agreeing to give up their U.S. citizenship. Many of these "renunciants" were intimidated or signed “under protest.” Of these, 2,360 “renunciants” were sent to higher security Department of Justice (DOJ) internment camps. Another 2,031 were deported to Japan. Almost all “renunciants” originated from the Tule Lake segregation camp.Tule Lake incarceration camp was located on a dry lake bed that had been drained as a federal reclamation project. Incarcerees gathered the remains of freshwater mollusk shells to craft into jewelry.Near the incarceration camp site, large remnants of Tule Lake are now designated as a National Wildlife Refuge.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce13.htm
Tule Lake Committeehttp://www.tulelake.org/
Tulean Dispatch, Vol. III No. 52, September 15, 1942assets/site/sos_w-tule-n-001.pdf
Tulean Dispatch, Vol. IV No. 83, March 1, 1943assets/site/sos_w-tule-n-002.pdf
Tulean Dispatch, Vol. VI No. 3, July 20, 1943assets/site/sos_w-tule-n-003.pdf
Tulean Dispatch, Vol. VI No. 30, August 20, 1943assets/site/sos_w-tule-n-004.pdf
Tulean Dispatch Farewell Message, 1943assets/site/sos_w-tule-n-005.pdf
Barracks with "Castle Rock," 1940s

Tule lake was located on a dry lake bed, and incarcerees would dig for shells to make into jewelry. Courtesy of Densho, the Bain Family Collection.

assets/site/sos_w-tule-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-tule-p-004t.jpgFields and "Castle Rock," March 1994

Former site of Tule Lake incarceration camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_w-tule-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_w-tule-p-005t.jpgFrank Fhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=155&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video FresnoFresno Assembly Center, CaliforniaFresnoTemporary Assembly CenterMay 6, 1942October 30, 1942Fresno, CaliforniaFresnoCaliforniaLocated at the Fresno County Fairgrounds in central California.36.7333-119.76677014030Held people from the central San Joaquin Valley and Amador County, California.Jerome, Gila River5,120The Fresno Assembly Center was located at the Fresno County Fairgrounds; barracks were erected on the fairgrounds and on the racetrack infield.Fresno was the last "assembly center" to close.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16a.htm
Tending a garden, 1942

Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-fres-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-fres-p-001t.jpgBuildings, June 1995

Former site of Fresno Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Fresno Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-fres-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-fres-p-005t.jpgMarysvilleMarysville Assembly Center, CaliforniaMarysvilleTemporary Assembly CenterMay 8, 1942June 29, 1942Marysville, CaliforniaMarysvilleCaliforniaLocated about 8 miles south of Marysville, California. Late spring rains delayed the camp's opening from the slated date of April 16, 1942. 39.0500-121.55002136287Held people from Placer and Sacramento Counties, California.Tule Lake2,451The Marysville Assembly Center was located at a migrant workers’ camp.Marysville was also known as the Arboga Assembly Center after the nearby small town of the same name.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16b.htm
Broken pottery, October 1996

Former site of Marysville Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-mary-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-mary-p-001t.jpgField, October 1996

Former site of Marysville Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Marysville Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-mary-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-mary-p-005t.jpgMayerMayer Assembly Center, ArizonaMayerTemporary Assembly CenterMay 7, 1942June 2, 1942Mayer, ArizonaMayerArizonaLocated 75 miles northwest of Phoenix, Arizona, Mayer was set on land that was originally farmland.34.3833-112.23332007019Held people from southern Arizona.Poston245The Mayer Assembly Center utilized a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.Mayer, at 245 people, was the smallest "assembly center" and was open the shortest time.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16c.htm
Residential area, September 1997

Former site of Mayer Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Mayer Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-maye-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-maye-p-005t.jpgMercedMerced Assembly Center, CaliforniaMercedTemporary Assembly CenterMay 6, 1942September 15, 1942Merced, CaliforniaMercedCaliforniaLocated in California's central San Joaquin Valley within the town of Merced at the county fairgrounds; the buildings were sited south of the fairgrounds proper.37.3000-120.46672012671Held people from the Northern California coast, west Sacramento Valley, and northern San Joaquin Valley, California.Granada4,508The Merced Assembly Center was within the town of Merced at the county fairgrounds.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16d.htm
Train en route to Merced, May 20, 1942

Former site of Merced Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-merc-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-merc-p-005t.jpgHiroshi Khttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=156&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video PinedalePinedale Assembly Center, CaliforniaPinedaleTemporary Assembly CenterMay 7, 1942July 23, 1942Pinedale, CaliforniaPinedaleCaliforniaLocated 8 miles north of downtown Fresno, California.36.84-119.801002392Held people from Sacramento and El Dorado Counties in California; also held people from Oregon and Washington.Tule Lake, Poston4,792The Pinedale Assembly Center was located 8 miles north of downtown Fresno on vacant land near an existing millworkers' housing area.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16e.htm
Children and boundary sign, 1942

Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-pine-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-pine-p-001t.jpgWarehouses, September 1997

Former site of Pinedale Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-pine-p-002s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-pine-p-002t.jpgRoad, September 1997

Former site of Pinedale Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Pomona Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-pomo-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-pomo-p-005t.jpgJimi Yhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=158&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video PortlandPortland Assembly Center, OregonPortlandTemporary Assembly CenterMay 2, 1942September 10, 1942Portland, OregonPortlandOregonLocated at the eleven-acre Pacific International Livestock Exposition Pavilion in Portland, Oregon.45.5167-122.66677014273Held people from northeast Oregon and central Washington.Heart Mountain, Minidoka, and Tule Lake3,676More than 3,800 people were housed under one roof at the pavilion, which was subdivided into living spaces.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16g.htm
Mess hall, 1942

Former site of Portland Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-port-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-port-p-005t.jpgKara Khttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=159&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Puyallup (Camp Harmony)Puyallup Assembly Center, WashingtonPuyallup (Camp Harmony)Temporary Assembly CenterApril 28, 1942September 12, 1942Puyallup, WashingtonPuyallupWashingtonLocated on the Western Washington State Fairgrounds, 35 miles south of Seattle, Washington.47.1833-122.28332116562Held people from Seattle and Tacoma, Washington; also held some from Alaska.Tule Lake, Minidoka7,390The Puyallup Assembly Center was built on the grounds and surrounding acres of the Western Washington State Fairgrounds. People of Japanese ancestry were housed in barracks as well as animal stalls.This "assembly center," also known as "Camp Harmony," effectively doubled Puyallup's population.A sculpture by artist George Tsutakawa and plaques serve as a memorial on the current fairgrounds.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16h.htm
Camp Harmony Exhibithttp://www.lib.washington.edu/exhibits/harmony/exhibit/
Family in a barrack, 1942

Courtesy of the Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives Division, University of Washington Libraries.

Former site of Sacramento Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-sacr-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-sacr-p-005t.jpgSalinasSalinas Assembly Center, CaliforniaSalinasTemporary Assembly CenterApril 27, 1942July 4, 1942Salinas, CaliforniaSalinasCaliforniaLocated at the north end of the town of Salinas, California.36.6667-121.65007014451Held people from the Monterey Bay area of California.Poston and Tule Lake3,586The Salinas Assembly Center was built at a fairgrounds at the north end of the town of Salinas.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16j.htm
Marked luggage, March 31, 1942

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_a-sali-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-sali-p-001t.jpgRacetrack and barracks, April 20, 1942

Former site of Stockton Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-stoc-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-stoc-p-005t.jpgTanforanTanforan Assembly Center, CaliforniaTanforanTemporary Assembly CenterApril 28, 1942October 13, 1942San Bruno, CaliforniaSan BrunoCaliforniaLocated 12 miles south of San Francisco, California.37.6167-122.40007015414Held people from the San Francisco Bay area of California.Topaz7,816The Tanforan Assembly Center was located at the Tanforan Racetrack in San Bruno, 12 miles south of San Francisco, California.People of Japanese ancestry were housed in barracks and converted horse stalls, one of which had been used for the famous racehorse Seabiscuit.The area is now a shopping mall, Tanforan Mall.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16m.htm
20 Views of the Tanforan Assembly Centerhttp://www.sfmuseum.org/hist8/ppoint.html
Standing in line, April 29, 1942

Former site of Tanforan Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-tanf-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-tanf-p-005t.jpgTom Ahttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=163&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video TulareTulare Assembly Center, CaliforniaTulareTemporary Assembly CenterApril 20, 1942September 4, 1942Tulare, CaliforniaTulareCaliforniaLocated in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California.36.2000-119.33337015506Held people from California: Los Angeles and Sacramento Counties and the Southern California coast.Gila River4,978The Tulare Assembly Center was located in the southern San Joaquin Valley in the town of Tulare at the county fairgrounds.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16n.htm
Racetrack, June 1995

Former site of Tulare Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-tula-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-tula-p-004t.jpgBuilding, June 1995

Former site of Tulare Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-tula-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-tula-p-005t.jpgTurlockTurlock Assembly Center, CaliforniaTurlockTemporary Assembly CenterApril 30, 1942August 12, 1942Turlock, CaliforniaTurlockCaliforniaLocated in the town of Turlock, California.37.4833-120.83337014665Held people from the Sacramento River delta and Los Angeles, California.Gila River3,661The Turlock Assembly Center was at the Stanislaus County Fairgrounds in the town of Turlock, California.Turlock closed as an "assembly center" in August 1942. The next month, Turlock was designated a Rehabilitation Center for U.S. Army prisoners who required retraining and discipline prior to being restored to military duty. The maximum number of U.S. Army prisoners allowed was 1,500 in the same space where 3,699 Japanese Americans had once been housed.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16o.htm
New arrivals, May 2, 1942

Former site of Turlock Assembly Center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_a-turl-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-turl-p-005t.jpgOwens ValleyOwens Valley Reception CenterOwens ValleyTemporary Assembly CenterMarch 21, 1942June 2, 1942Manzanar, California ManzanarCaliforniaLocated on the site that later became the WRA-run incarceration camp Manzanar.36.7333-118.06674006871More than 90 percent were from the Los Angeles area; others were from Stockton, California, and Bainbridge Island, Washington.Manzanar9,666The first people of Japanese ancestry to be moved from designated military zones under Executive Order 9066, a group from Bainbridge Island, Washington, were brought to the Owens Valley Assembly Center.The Owens Valley Assembly Center became the Manzanar incarceration camp under the management of the War Relocation Authority (WRA).http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16.htm
Camp construction, April 2, 1942

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_a-owen-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-owen-p-001t.jpgParker DamParker Dam Assembly CenterParker DamTemporary Assembly CenterMay 8, 1942May 31, 1942Parker, ArizonaParkerArizonaLocated on the site that later became the WRA-run incarceration camp Poston.34.1500-114.28332007106Held people from Arizona, California, Oregon, and Washington.PostonThe Parker Dam Assembly Center became the Poston incarceration camp under the management of the War Relocation Authority (WRA).http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce16.htm
Barrack construction, April 2, 1942

Courtesy of the National Archives and Records Administration.

assets/site/sos_a-park-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_a-park-p-001t.jpgCrystal CityCrystal City Internment CenterCrystal CityDept of Justice Internment CampNovember 2, 1942January 1948Crystal City, TexasCrystal CityTexasLocated in Zavala County in South Texas, 170 miles west of Corpus Christi.
Semiarid grasslands with an average annual rainfall of about 21 inches. Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures exceeding 100 degrees.28.6667-99.81672103556Held people of Japanese ancestry from the U.S. and Latin America and their families; also held German and Italian nationals and their families.4,000Crystal City was originally built to house 2,000 migratory farm laborers under the Farm Security Administration.The first internees were German nationals and their families. The camp also held families of Italian descent. The people of Japanese descent, who made up two-thirds of the camp, lived in separate quarters from the European internees.The families of the issei men interned at Crystal City were transferred there from War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps.The U.S. government arranged with Latin American countries to deport residents of Japanese descent for internment at Crystal City. The purpose was to exchange the Japanese Latin Americans for U.S. prisoners held by the Japanese army. The U.S. government seized the deportees' papers, so when the war ended the Japanese Latin Americans were treated as illegal aliens.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17c.htm
Aerial view, c. 1943

assets/site/sos_d-crys-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-crys-p-004t.jpgMonument, September 1998

Former site of Crystal City internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_d-crys-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-crys-p-005t.jpgMako Nhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=164&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video MoabMoab Isolation CenterMoabCitizen Isolation CenterJanuary 11, 1943April 27, 1943Dalton Wells, UtahDalton WellsUtahLocated at Dalton Wells, 13 miles north of Moab in southeastern Utah. Summer temperatures reach the high 90s. Vegetation included sagebrush, tumbleweed, cottonwood, and tamarisk trees. The drab and desolate area was used for stock grazing.38.5667-109.53332109079Nisei and kibei men designated "troublemakers" by War Relocation Authority (WRA) camp directors were imprisoned at Moab. (U.S. citizens could not be sent to the Department of Justice or U.S. Army internment camps.) The first to arrive were sixteen men removed from Manzanar after a riot.Leupp Citizen Isolation Center83The men held at the camp were not charged with crimes and did not receive hearings.The 150 military police who guarded the inmates outnumbered them by more than two to one. The WRA called the camp a "rehabilitation center."Dalton Wells, referred to as "Moab" by the WRA, was a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce14a.htm
Concrete foundation, July 1995

Former site of Moab citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_c-moab-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_c-moab-p-001t.jpgVegetation, July 1995

Former site of Moab citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Moab citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_c-moab-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_c-moab-p-005t.jpgLeuppLeupp Isolation CenterLeuppCitizen Isolation CenterApril 27, 1943December 2, 1943Leupp, ArizonaLeuppArizonaThe Leupp camp, in the high desert of northeastern Arizona about 30 miles northwest of Winslow, was located at an abandoned Navajo Indian Reservation boarding school.35.2833-110.95002557291Inmates from the Moab Citizen Isolation Center were transferred to Leupp, and other designated "troublemakers" were sent to Leupp from various War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps at the discretion of camp administrators.Tule Lake Segregation CenterFive of the men held in the Grand County jail after protesting their treatment at Moab were forced to make the eleven-hour trip to Leupp confined in a four-by-six-foot box on the back of a flatbed truck.Men could be sent to the isolation center for offenses such as insulting a WRA employee, leading a work walk-out, or trying to form a union.The WRA assistant solicitor criticized the Leupp center as "an un-American institution … premised on Gestapo methods." In recommending the closing of the camp, the Leupp Review Committee stressed: "The Leupp Center is not to be explained as a mistake, despite the fact that it was unfortunate that such a center had to be established."http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce14b.htm
Concrete rubble, July 1997

Former site of Leupp citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Leupp citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_c-leup-p-003s.jpgassets/site/sos_c-leup-p-003t.jpgField, July 1997

Former site of Leupp citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_c-leup-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_c-leup-p-004t.jpgField and unpaved road, September 1997

Former site of Leupp citizen isolation center. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_c-leup-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_c-leup-p-005t.jpgAntelope SpringsAntelope Springs CampAntelope SpringsAdditional FacilityAntelope Springs, UtahAntelope SpringsUtahLocated in a sparse pinyon and juniper forest at an elevation of 7,400 feet at the base of the 9,669-foot Swasey Peak, part of the House Range in western Utah. The closest town is Delta.39.3833-113.30001107569Used for recreation by children from the Topaz incarceration camp, which was 90 miles west.Youth groups such as the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts used the camp as a recreational facility for swimming and hiking. Little information is available about this facility.Antelope Springs was a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp, built in 1935.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce15a.htm
Building foundations, 1990s

Former site of Antelope Springs. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Antelope Springs. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_f-ante-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_f-ante-p-005t.jpgCow CreekCow Creek CampCow CreekAdditional FacilityDecember 10, 1942February 15, 1943Cow Creek, CaliforniaCow CreekCaliforniaLocated in the desert of California near the Death Valley National Monument, one of the hottest places on Earth. Summer temperatures stay well over 100 degrees. Death Valley encompasses the lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 282 feet below sea level and is the driest place in North America with an average rainfall of only 1.96 inches a year.36.5000-117.00007019393Held forty men and their families from the Manzanar incarceration camp.resettled outside camps150After the fatal riot at Manzanar, the War Relocation Authority (WRA) briefly held "pro-administration" individuals at Cow Creek before giving them leave from the camps. The men had been threatened by protestors who considered them to be informants.Cow Creek was a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.Once when the supply truck from Manzanar was several days late, wild burro meat was served.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce15b.htm
Former barrack, May 1993

assets/site/sos_f-cowc-p-002s.jpgassets/site/sos_f-cowc-p-002t.jpgTulelakeTulelake CenterTulelakeAdditional FacilityMarch 1943October 1943Tulelake, CaliforniaTulelakeCaliforniaLocated 5 miles west of the Tule Lake incarceration camp in the Tulelake-Butte Valley of Siskiyou County in northeastern California. Tulelake is southeast of Klamath Falls and northeast of Mt. Shasta.41.9500-121.46672014671Two different groups of men were put in this camp: more than one hundred men from the Tule Lake incarceration camp who refused to answer the "loyalty questionnaire," and later, the WRA brought in men from other camps whom they paid higher wages in order to break a strike by Tulelake farm workers.The camp was originally a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) facility, and had been converted to a prisoner of war (POW) camp for German and Italian prisoners before holding persons of Japanese ancestry.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce15c.htm
German POWs, c. 1944

assets/site/sos_f-tule-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_f-tule-p-005t.jpgEast BostonEast Boston Detention StationEast BostonImmigration Detention StationEast Boston, MassachusettsEast BostonMassachusettsImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located in East Boston, Massachusetts.42.3667-71.03337015009Held Japanese immigrants; German, Italian, and other foreign nationals.One of five INS detention stations that held individuals the government considered "potentially dangerous" until they were moved to internment camps.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
Ellis IslandEllis Island Detention StationEllis IslandImmigration Detention StationDecember 1, 1941June 1944Ellis Island, New YorkEllis IslandNew YorkImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located on Ellis Island, a mostly artificial island of 27 acres in Upper New York Bay.40.6833-74.03337014105Held Japanese immigrants on the East Coast arrested by the FBI immediately after the attack on Pearl Harbor; other foreign nationals were also held there.608Ellis Island was designated as a permanent detention station, and foreign nationals from enemy nations were transferred in and out of Ellis Island for more than two years.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
Main building interior, 1990s

assets/site/sos_i-elli-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_i-elli-p-005t.jpgSan FranciscoSan Francisco Detention StationSan FranciscoImmigration Detention StationSan Francisco, CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located on Silver Avenue in San Francisco, California.37.7667-122.41677014456Held Japanese immigrants arrested by the FBI in Northern California.This facility was soon filled to capacity with detainees. In order to relieve crowding, the INS opened the Sharp Park Detention Station located twelve miles south.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
San PedroSan Pedro Detention StationSan PedroImmigration Detention StationSan Pedro, CaliforniaSan PedroCaliforniaImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located near Los Angeles in San Pedro, California.33.7333-118.28337014463Held Japanese immigrants arrested by the FBI.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
SeattleSeattle Detention StationSeattleImmigration Detention StationSeattle, WashingtonSeattleWashingtonImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located in Seattle, Washington.47.6000-122.31677014494Held Japanese immigrants; also held German and Italian nationals.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
Sharp ParkSharp Park Detention StationSharp ParkImmigration Detention StationMarch 30, 19421946Sharp Park, CaliforniaSharp ParkCaliforniaLocated near Sharp Park in Northern California; set on a former state relief camp.37.6167-122.46671103075Held people of Japanese descent from California and Peru; also held German, Italian, and Chinese nationals.379When the San Francisco immigration station was filled to capacity, the INS opened a former state relief camp and renamed it the Sharp Park Temporary Detention Station. This INS detention station became the main holding center for those arrested in Northern California.In 1943, a fight broke out among the Chinese, Japanese American, and Japanese Peruvian detainees over the raising of a Chinese flag.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
Overview, c. 1942

Courtesy of the Immigration and Naturalization Service.

assets/site/sos_i-shar-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_i-shar-p-001t.jpgTuna CanyonTuna Canyon Detention StationTuna CanyonImmigration Detention StationTujunga, CaliforniaTujungaCaliforniaImmigration and Naturalization Service (INS) detention station located at a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp near Pasadena in Los Angeles County, California.34.2500-118.28337015468Held Japanese immigrants; also held German and Italian nationals.This former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp was used by the INS as a temporary center to hold individuals the U.S. government considered "potentially dangerous." Many of the detainees of Japanese ancestry were sent to inland internment camps from here.The INS used a barbed-wire fence to separate visiting family members from the detainees and allowed only English to be spoken.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17a.htm
Fort Lincoln (Bismarck)Fort Lincoln Internment CampFort Lincoln (Bismarck)Dept of Justice Internment CampDecember 7, 1941March 6, 1946Bismarck, North DakotaBismarckNorth DakotaLocated in Morton County, 5 miles south of Bismarck, North Dakota, on a U.S. Army base.46.8000-100.78337013429Held Japanese and German nationals; German and Italian seamen; and Japanese American "renunciants," those who had given up their U.S. citizenship.1,518Originally a U.S. Army post, this camp held German and Italian seamen captured in U.S. waters when the war started in Europe in 1939. It was turned over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) on December 7, 1941.On February 14, 1945, 650 "renunciants" were sent from the War Relocation Authority (WRA) Tule Lake segregation center and from the internment camps at Santa Fe, New Mexico. Another one hundred arrived in July. Over half of them were deported to Japan later that year.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17f.htm
Stone entry gate, October 1999

Former site of Fort Lincoln (Bismarck) internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Fort Lincoln (Bismarck) internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_d-linc-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-linc-p-005t.jpgArthur Ohttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=165&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Fort MissoulaFort Missoula Internment CampFort MissoulaDept of Justice Internment CampDecember 18, 1941July 1, 1944Missoula, MontanaMissoulaMontanaLocated at an old U.S. Army post on the southwest edge of Missoula, Montana, that was turned over to the Department of Justice (DOJ) in 1941. Missoula is in western Montana.46.8667-113.98337014085Held more than 1,000 Italian seamen captured in U.S. waters; also held 1,250 Japanese immigrants from the continental U.S. and Hawaii.2,003Alien Enemy Hearing Boards for the issei were held from June to August 1942, and if the issei was recommended for permanent internment, he was sent to Camp Livingston, a U.S. Army internment camp in Alexandria, Louisiana. By August, there were only 109 issei left at Fort Missoula.The internees of Japanese and Italian descent lived in different barracks and ate in separate mess halls but occasionally played softball together.After the internees were sent to U.S. Army camps, Fort Missoula was used to hold military prisoners of war (POWs) from Europe.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17g.htm
Internees and guard, c. 1942

Courtesy of the K. Ross Toole Archives, University of Montana at Missoula.

Courtesy of the Manuscripts, Special Collections, University Archives Division, University of Washington Libraries, the Matsushita Family Collection.

assets/site/sos_d-miss-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-miss-p-004t.jpgFormer army barracks, October 1999

Former site of Fort Missoula internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_d-miss-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-miss-p-005t.jpgMarion Khttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=166&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video Camp BlandingCamp Blanding Internment CampCamp BlandingU.S. Army Internment CampStarke, FloridaStarkeFloridaU.S. Army Internment Camp located in Starke, Florida, southwest of Jacksonville, in northeast Florida.29.9333-82.10002021369Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S. Also held German and Italian nationals, as well as fourteen German prisoners of war (POWs) captured in a submarine.343The capacity of this facility was 200, yet the U.S. Army interned more than 300 people here.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17k.htm
Camp ForrestCamp Forrest Internment CampCamp ForrestU.S. Army Internment CampTullahoma, Tennessee TullahomaTennesseeU.S. Army internment camp located in a wooded area of rural Tennessee, 70 miles south of Nashville.35.3500-86.20002101873Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S.; also held German and Italian nationals.At this site, the barracks consisted of five-man huts for a total capacity of 300 persons.The population of internees of Japanese ancestry reached 190 in early 1942; however, by June of that year most had either been repatriated to Japan or transferred to Camp Livingston, Louisiana.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Camp entrance, c. 1942

assets/site/sos_u-forr-p-003s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-forr-p-003t.jpgCamp LivingstonCamp Livingston Internment CampCamp LivingstonU.S. Army Internment CampJune 8, 1942Alexandria, LouisianaAlexandriaLouisianaLocated in Alexandria, Louisiana, north of Baton Rouge in the central part of the state. Hot and humid summer months with temperatures up to 130 degrees, poisonous reptiles, and stinging insects added to the hardship.31.3000-92.43337013268Held internees of Japanese ancestry sent from the Department of Justice-run Fort Missoula internment camp and from the U.S. Army-run Fort Sill and Camp Forrest internment camps.1,123The U.S. Army constructed Camp Livingston to accommodate 5,000 people in mid-1942.To gain some relief from the extreme heat, the internees of Japanese ancestry dug shallow depressions in the dirt under the barracks and rested there during the hottest hours.The internees were told that they could volunteer for work unrelated to the maintenance of the camp and would be paid ten cents per hour. Other internees were ordered to work in the nearby forest to cut pine trees to construct an airport.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Camp McCoyCamp McCoy Internment CampCamp McCoyU.S. Army Internment CampMarch 1, 1942Camp McCoy, WisconsinCamp McCoyWisconsinLocated 9 miles west of Tomah and 92 miles northwest of Madison, Wisconsin. 44.0167-90.68332121220Held Japanese immigrants from Hawaii; German and Italian nationals; and Japanese and German prisoners of war (POWs).293This camp was initially chosen by the U.S. Army because of its location on the Chicago and Northwestern Railway lines.After the issei internees were transferred back to Department of Justice (DOJ) camps in 1943, this facility was briefly converted into a training center for the 100th Infantry Battalion, the all-Japanese American Hawaiian National Guard unit.During the later years of the war, Camp McCoy was also used to hold 4,000 Japanese and German prisoners of war (POWs)--soldiers captured and brought to the U.S. There were fourteen escape attempts by the Japanese POWs; all were recaptured.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Barracks, 1990s

Courtesy of the U.S. Army.

assets/site/sos_u-mcco-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-mcco-p-001t.jpgLeavenworth Federal PenitentiaryLeavenworth Federal PenitentiaryLeavenworthU.S. Federal PrisonLeavenworth, KansasLeavenworthKansasLocated 15 miles northwest of Kansas City. At 1,583 square acres, it is currently the largest maximum-security prison in the U.S., housing about 2,000 inmates.39.3000-94.91672036674
,Held twenty-eight nisei soldiers from Fort McClellan, Alabama; seven leaders of Heart Mountain's Fair Play Committee; and thirty older draft resisters from Heart Mountain incarceration camp.In March 1944, 106 nisei soldiers at Fort McClellan, Alabama, refused to undergo combat training to protest the unjust incarceration of their families. Twenty-eight were court-martialed and sent to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. They were kept separate from the civilian inmates.On June 26, 1944, sixty-three draft resisters from Heart Mountain were convicted by a federal grand jury and sentenced to jail terms. Thirty of the older resisters were sent to Leavenworth, while the others were sent to McNeil Island Penitentiary. They were all pardoned by President Harry S. Truman in 1947.The seven leaders of Heart Mountain's Fair Play Committee were convicted of counseling others to resist the draft. They were sentenced to four years in Leavenworth, and the verdict was eventually overturned.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce18b.htm
Main building, 1990s

Courtesy of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

assets/site/sos_p-leav-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_p-leav-p-001t.jpgFort StantonFort Stanton Internment CampFort StantonDept of Justice Internment CampFort Stanton, New MexicoFort StantonNew MexicoLocated in isolated southern New Mexico in Lincoln County, 35 miles north of Ruidoso. Fort Stanton was originally established in 1855 and was used in 1899 as a tuberculosis sanatorium.33.4833-105.51672066966Mostly held German nationals and German seamen from the luxury liner Columbus captured in U.S. waters in 1939. Also held those considered by the Department of Justice to be the most "troublesome" Japanese internees: ten nisei and kibei "renunciants" and seven issei transferred from the Santa Fe internment camp.This high-security facility contained two segregated sub-camps, one for the internees of Japanese descent and the other for thirty-one Germans also labeled "troublemakers" by the Department of Justice (DOJ). There were more guards and greater restrictions here than at any other DOJ-run camp. The internees of Japanese ancestry arrived March 10, 1945, and by October 10, 1945, they were transferred to Terminal Island, California, and repatriated to Japan.The exact location of the seventeen internees of Japanese descent was kept secret by the DOJ who referred to Fort Stanton as "Japanese Segregation Camp Number 1." The internees' mail was sent to and from the Santa Fe internment camp located 200 miles north.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17h.htm
New Details of an American Injusticehttp://www.artsci.washington.edu/newsletter/Autumn98/injustice.html
Aerial view, date unknown

assets/site/sos_d-stan-p-003s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-stan-p-003t.jpgTom Ahttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=167&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video McNeil Island PenitentiaryMcNeil Island PenitentiaryMcNeil IslandU.S. Federal PrisonMcNeil Island, WashingtonMcNeil IslandWashingtonWork prison located on an island in the southern portion of Puget Sound, 10 miles southwest of Tacoma, Washington. Currently a medium-security state correctional facility holding about 1,000 male inmates.47.2000-122.68331008106Younger draft resisters from Heart Mountain and Minidoka incarceration camps were held here. Gordon Hirabayashi was also imprisoned here for draft resistance.On June 26, 1944, sixty-three resisters from Heart Mountain were convicted by a federal grand jury and sentenced to jail terms. Thirty-three of the younger resisters were sent to McNeil Island, while the others were sent to Leavenworth Federal Penitentiary. Thirty resisters from Minidoka were also convicted and sentenced to McNeil Island in October 1944. They were joined by a second group of Heart Mountain resisters in July 1945.McNeil Island was a work prison and inmates held a variety of jobs, including canning fish, clearing land, and farming.World War II draft resisters, including nisei draft resisters, were pardoned by President Harry S. Truman on December 24, 1947.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce18c.htm
Prison cells, August 14, 1935

Former site of Catalina Federal Honor Camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_p-cata-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_p-cata-p-005t.jpgFlorenceFlorence Internment CampFlorenceU.S. Army Internment CampFlorence, ArizonaFlorenceArizonaLocated in Florence, Arizona. Florence is northeast of Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, between Phoenix and Tucson in southern Arizona. Hot desert area with extreme summer temperatures.33.0167-111.38337016521Held individuals of Japanese ancestry.A small quantity of Japanese goods including green tea and soybeans were distributed here from the exchange ship M.S. Gripsholm in June 1942 and December 1943.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Fort BlissFort Bliss Internment CampFort BlissU.S. Army Internment CampFort Bliss, TexasFort BlissTexasLocated near El Paso in southern Texas, close to the Mexico border.31.8000-106.20007021840Held Japanese immigrants from mainland U.S. and Hawaii, including seventy-three internees transferred from the Santa Fe internment camp; also held German and Italian nationals.91The War Department selected Fort Bliss as one of the three inland facilities to intern people of Japanese descent from Hawaii.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
Fort HowardFort Howard Internment CampFort HowardU.S. Army Internment CampFort Howard, MarylandFort HowardMarylandLocated on old army barracks within Fort Howard Army Post, Baltimore County, Maryland.39.2000-76.43337016252Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S., German nationals, and German prisoners of war (POWs).30http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
Fort LewisFort Lewis Internment CampFort LewisU.S. Army Internment Camp19423/30/1943Fort Lewis, WashingtonFort LewisWashingtonLocated within Fort Lewis Army Base, 17 miles south of Tacoma, Washington.47.1333-122.48337016956Held people of Japanese descent from Alaska, Hawaii, and the mainland U.S.; also held German and Italian nationals.42The War Department planned Fort Lewis as a temporary facility. By 1943, all the internees of Japanese and Italian descent were sent to the Department of Justice (DOJ) internment camp at Fort Missoula, Montana; the German internees were transferred to the DOJ internment camp at Fort Lincoln, North Dakota.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
Fort McDowellFort McDowell Internment CampFort McDowellU.S. Army Internment CampFort McDowell, CaliforniaFort McDowellCaliforniaAlso known as "Angel Island," a 740-acre island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay.37.8500-122.41672335391Held Japanese, German, and Italian immigrants from Hawaii; one Norwegian national; and one Japanese prisoner of war (POW).199This facility served as a port of arrival for internees from Hawaii who were then transferred to other inland facilities.Fort McDowell is more commonly known as "Angel Island," an immigration station that opened in 1910 and was turned over to the War Department in 1940.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
Fort MeadeFort Meade Internment CampFort MeadeU.S. Army Internment CampFort George Meade, MarylandFort George MeadeMarylandLocated southwest of Baltimore in Anne Arundel County, Maryland.39.0000-76.61677014651Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S.; also held German and Italian nationals.384http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Fort RichardsonFort Richardson Internment CampFort RichardsonU.S. Army Internment CampFort Richardson, AlaskaFort RichardsonAlaskaLocated 9 miles north of downtown Anchorage, Alaska.61.2500-149.68332335498Held Japanese immigrants from Alaska, plus two German nationals.17Family members of the interned issei were held here for a short time en route to the Puyallup Assembly Center in Washington.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17o.htm
Fort Sam HoustonFort Sam Houston Internment CampFort Sam HoustonU.S. Army Internment CampFort Sam Houston, TexasFort Sam HoustonTexasLocated in San Antonio, Texas.29.4167-98.48337014453Held people of Japanese descent from Alaska and Hawaii; also held German and Italian nationals.106This facility was used as a temporary holding place while permanent internment camps were being constructed.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17p.htm
Fort SillFort Sill Internment CampFort SillU.S. Army Internment CampJune 24, 1942Fort Sill, OklahomaFort SillOklahomaLocated in Comanche County, 3 miles north of Lawton, Oklahoma, southwest of Oklahoma City. The camp saw unusually strong windstorms in the spring and scorching hot temperatures in the summer.34.6167-98.36672335535Held approximately 700 Japanese immigrants from the continental U.S., plus three German nationals.707In April 1942 windstorms blew so strong that internees often stayed up all night to prevent their tents from collapsing. The internees also suffered through 100 degree temperatures during the summer with no shade to escape the heat.Fort Sill was run in strict military fashion. The guard towers were equipped with 30-caliber machine guns, shotguns, and searchlights. The internees slept in four-man tents and were forbidden from resting during the day.On May 13, 1942, a mentally ill internee was shot dead by guards who claimed that he was trying to escape.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17m.htm
Historic marker and tower, July 1999

Former site of Fort Sill internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Fort Sill internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-sill-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-sill-p-004t.jpgBuildings, July 1999

Former site of Fort Sill internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-sill-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-sill-p-005t.jpgGriffith ParkGriffith Park Internment CampGriffith ParkU.S. Army Internment CampMarch 1942Burbank, CaliforniaBurbankCaliforniaLocated at a former Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp in Southern California.34.1667-118.30007013464Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S.; also held German and Italian nationals.19This facility temporarily held internees considered by the U.S. government as "potentially dangerous" until they could be transfered to other internment camps.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
HonouliuliHonouliuli Internment CampHonouliuliU.S. Army Internment CampFebruary 19431945Honouliuli, Oahu, HawaiiHonouliuli, OahuHawaiiLocated on 160 acres of sugarcane fields northwest of Honolulu. One of two camps used to imprison people of Japanese ancestry in Hawaii.21.4167-158.06672024962Held people of Japanese ancestry, citizens and non-citizens, male and female; also held European nationals and prisoners of war (POWs) from the Pacific theater. 320The U.S. Army housed inmates in fifteen wooden barracks as well as large tents that held six to eight people. Females and POWs were kept in separate areas, each surrounded by barbed-wire fences. Some inmates stayed for a few months, while others remained for more than two years.If an inmate of Japanese descent wished to leave the camp and was eligible to do so, he or she was forced to sign a statement promising that he or she would not contest the imprisonment in court. Failure to sign would result in continued imprisonment.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17o.htm
World War II Japanese American Internment Sites in Hawaii (22MB pdf)http://www.densho.org/assets/media/Burton-HawaiiInternmentSitesOverview2007.pdf
LordsburgLordsburg Internment CampLordsburgU.S. Army Internment CampJune 15, 19421944Lordsburg, New MexicoLordsburgNew MexicoLocated on 1,300 acres of desert land near Lordsburg in southwest New Mexico.32.3500-108.70002067142Held internees of Japanese ancestry transferred from numerous U.S. Army- and Departmen of Justice-run internment camps; also held German nationals, German and Japanese prisoners of war (POWs), as well as U.S. Army soldiers who had been convicted of various offenses.2,500Held the U.S. Army's largest number of issei internees with the population peaking at 1,500.On June 27, 1942, Toshio Kobata and Hirota Isomura, two elderly issei internees, were shot and killed by a guard who claimed they were running towards the fence to escape. The guard was tried and found not guilty by an Army court-martial board even after many internees testified that Kobata and Isomura were both physically disabled.On August 10, 1942, representatives from the U.S. State Department and Spanish Consulate visited at the request of internees who had been protesting work conditions since June. The Lordsburg military commander, Colonel Lundy, had been ordering internees to build military facilities in harsh conditions and without pay, a violation of the Geneva Convention. Protests had been met with threats and arrests.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17l.htm
P.O.W. Road sign, September 1998

Former site of Lordsburg internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-lord-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-lord-p-001t.jpgBuilding, September 1998

Former site of Lordsburg internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Lordsburg internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-lord-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-lord-p-005t.jpgTosh Yhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=170&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=videoSand IslandSand Island Internment CampSand IslandU.S. Army Internment CampDecember 1941March 1, 1943Sand Island, Oahu, HawaiiSand Island, OahuHawaiiLocated on a five-acre facility near Honolulu Harbor in Hawaii.21.3000-157.88331008979Held people of Japanese descent, citizens and non-citizens, men and women; also held Austrian, Finn, German, Italian, and Norwegian nationals.300Inmates slept in small tents without floorboards and were not permitted newspapers, pencils, pens, or writing paper.In January 1942, when two spoons and a knife appeared to be missing after a meal, guards conducted a humiliating strip search of 164 male issei internees. The missing utensils were later found in the kitchen.In July 1942, the camp administrators installed loudspeakers in each barrack. The loudspeakers not only broadcast music, but also served as receivers to monitor inmates' conversations.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17o.htm
World War II Japanese American Internment Sites in Hawaii (22MB pdf)http://www.densho.org/assets/media/Burton-HawaiiInternmentSitesOverview2007.pdf
Sand Island Supplemental Maps (19MB pdf)http://www.densho.org/assets/media/Burton-SandIsland11x17maps.pdf
Camp entrance, 1940s

Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-sand-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-sand-p-001t.jpgStringtownStringtown Internment CampStringtownU.S. Army Internment CampStringtown, OklahomaStringtownOklahomaLocated 5 miles north of Stringtown in southern Oklahoma. Currently a medium-security facility, the Mack Alford Correctional Center.34.4667-96.05002084058Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S., as well as German prisoners of war (POWs)..176Stringtown was established in 1933 as a sub-prison to relieve overcrowding at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17n.htm
Guard tower, July 1999

Former site of Stringtown internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

Former site of Stringtown internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_u-stri-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_u-stri-p-005t.jpgKenedyKenedy Internment CampKenedyDept of Justice Internment CampApril 1, 1942September 1945Kenedy, TexasKenedyTexasLocated 50 miles southeast of San Antonio, Texas, in Karnes County on the site of a closed Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.28.8167-97.83332105320Held people of Japanese, German, and Italian descent from the U.S. and Latin America; also held Japanese and German prisoners of war (POWs).2,000The townspeople of Kenedy lobbied the federal government to open Kenedy internment camp in order to create jobs and revenue for the town.Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) guards counted the inmates twice daily and conducted bed checks three to four times per night.This camp held the fourth largest group of Japanese military POWs in the country with the population reaching 590 in 1943.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17d.htm
Internees being processed, c. 1943

Former site of Kenedy internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_d-kene-p-004s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-kene-p-004t.jpgResidence, September 1998

Former site of Kenedy internment camp. Courtesy of the National Park Service.

assets/site/sos_d-kene-p-005s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-kene-p-005t.jpgKooskiaKooskia Internment CampKooskiaDept of Justice Internment CampMay 1943May 1945Kooskia, Idaho KooskiaIdahoLocated in Clearwater National Forest in North Central Idaho, 40 miles east of the town of Kooskia. Set in a remote, heavily wooded area, the facility had been a highway construction camp sited on an old Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.46.1333-115.58332025845Held Japanese immigrants from the U.S. and Latin America, as well as German nationals.This camp was unusual in that it operated as a work camp for a road construction project during WWII. Due to a civilian labor shortage in early 1943, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) offered the Public Roads Administration use of male internee labor to build the Lewis and Clark Highway (U.S. Highway 12). In May 1943, the first 175 issei arrived from various locations to the work camp in Kooskia.In total, 256 Japanese aliens, 27 white civilian employees (24 male and 3 female) worked here along with a Japanese American interpreter and a German national physician from Bolivia who had volunteered to run the medical facility.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17e.htm
The Kooskia Internment Camp Projecthttp://www.uidaho.edu/LS/AACC/KOOSKIA.HTM
Old Raton RanchOld Raton Ranch Internment CampOld Raton RanchDept of Justice Internment CampJanuary 23, 1942December 18, 1942Lincoln, New MexicoLincolnNew MexicoThis short-lived camp was located 13 miles east of Fort Stanton internment camp in the Lincoln National Forest in southern New Mexico.33.4833-105.38332067130This little-known camp held thirty-two inmates of Japanese descent, all from Clovis, New Mexico. Men, women, and children--citizens and non-citizens alike--were rounded up based on their Japanese ancestry. The Department of Justice (DOJ) categorized the issei as "enemy aliens" who were accompanied by their citizen children.Poston, Gila River and Topaz WRA incarceration camps32On January 23, 1942, a month before Executive Order 9066, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) rounded up all thirty-two Japanese American residents of Clovis and detained them at Old Raton Ranch, an isolated and abandoned campsite. Work, school, and other activities were unavailable to the inmates. After almost a year of these bleak conditions, the Japanese Americans were transferred to War Relocation Authority (WRA) incarceration camps. None of the thirty-two Japanese Americans ever returned to Clovis after the war.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17.htm
Santa FeSanta Fe Internment CampSanta FeDept of Justice Internment CampFebruary 1942September 1946Santa Fe, New MexicoSanta FeNew MexicoLocated 2.5 miles west of the Santa Fe city center, this 80-acre site in northern New Mexico included a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp.35.6833-105.93337013950Held people of Japanese descent from the continental U.S., Alaska, Hawaii, Latin America, and the Pacific Islands. Later included internees transferred from Tule Lake segregation center: 866 Japanese American "renunciants," those who had given up their U.S. citizenship, and 313 designated "troublemakers." After 1942, German and Italian nationals were held here.2,100The security at this facility was similar to that of a military prison: the camp was encircled by twelve-foot-high barbed-wire fences and eleven guard towers with searchlights. The guards were heavily equipped with rifles, side arms, and tear gas.This camp operated in two phases. The first phase was as a temporary detention facility that held 826 Japanese immigrants from California who were all sent to War Relocation Authority (WRA) camps by September 1942. The next phase began in February 1943 and included internees transferred from U.S. Army camps as well as issei, nisei, and kibei "troublemakers" from the Tule Lake segregation center.On March 12, 1945, tensions erupted at Santa Fe following weeks of conflict between the camp administration and a group of internees from Tule Lake. Guards fired tear gas into a crowd of 250 and began beating the internees. Four were seriously injured and the guards isolated 350 others. Seventeen were transferred to the high-security facility at Fort Stanton, New Mexico. http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17i.htm
Poetry group, 1943-1944

Courtesy of ManyMountains.org and R. Matsumoto.

assets/site/sos_d-sant-p-001s.jpgassets/site/sos_d-sant-p-001t.jpgBill Nhttp://www.densho.org/assets/sharedpages/primarysource/primarysource.asp?id=168&display_format=4&section=home&text=1&mediaType=video SeagovilleSeagoville Internment CampSeagovilleDept of Justice Internment CampApril 12, 1942June 30, 1945Seagoville, TexasSeagovilleTexasLocated southeast of Dallas, this site was originally a federal prison for women.32.6333-96.53332107550Held women and children of Japanese ancestry from the U.S. and Latin America; also held German, Italian, and Japanese immigrants being repatriated to their home countries.Seagoville was built as a minimum-security women's prison in 1940. It became the primary location for female internees of Japanese ancestry, such as Japanese language teachers, from 1942 to 1943.Many German and Japanese immigrants were repatriated to their home countries from Seagoville, including 250 Japanese families.Today, Seagoville is a low-security prison for men.http://www.cr.nps.gov/history/online_books/anthropology74/ce17j.htm
Ball teams and band, c. 1943